Saline teenager bitten during fight over Facebook messages
A "happy birthday" message on Facebook escalated into a fight between two Saline teenagers in which one teen was seriously bitten on the finger and the other alleged his eye was poked.
Officers responded to the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Saline emergency room to meet the 16-year-old victim at about 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.
The teen told police he posted a "happy birthday" message on a female friend's Facebook page, and her boyfriend responded. The two boys exchanged messages, and the 16-year-old told the 17-year-old boyfriend where he lived during their online chat.
The boyfriend said he was on his way over and arrived at the 16-year-old's house shortly before 3:30 p.m., reports said. The two boys fought on the porch, and the 16-year-old said he put the 17-year-old in a headlock. The older boy started biting the 16-year-old's fingers and thumb, reports said.
The 16-year-old boy's mother came outside and the boyfriend left.
The tip of the 16-year-old boy's thumb was torn and was barely attached when he arrived at the hospital, reports said. He required stitches and told police he intended to press charges.
Roughly four hours later, officers were called to the 16-year-old's house, where a large group of people was reported to be banging on the windows. Officers counted up to 12 people outside when they arrived, and about half ran off. The remaining boys were detained, including the 17-year-old suspect in the earlier confrontation, reports said.
The Saline teenager told officers he got into a debate on Facebook with the 16-year-old boy and voluntarily went to his house that afternoon. He said he only bit the boy because the boy was trying to poke out his eye.
Officers noted one of the 17-year-old's eye was scratched and appeared red.
Police told the group to refrain from attacking each other in person or via social media, and cited the 17-year-old for trespassing.
The case remains open and will be forwarded to prosecutors to review for criminal charges.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
debling
Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:37 a.m.
Let's try this again and see if the AnnArbor.com censor police let it go. Maybe too much "opinion" on the comment? Anyone else bothered by a guy who freaks out about a "Happy Birthday" note to his girlfriend, goes over to the house of the poster and has a fight with him, puts him in the hospital, then comes back with a dozen friends to (something??? I won't speculate, may it is to have a drink of Coke or settle the score on Xbox? how is that?). Anyone else worried that this is not the end if this conflict?
kr8tr
Tue, Jan 25, 2011 : 10:09 p.m.
I am a little surprised at the comments stating that it was ridiculous that this was news or that the police were called. The younger boy, a minor, was sent to the hospital with the tip of his finger "dangling". That would prompt most of us to call the police. I am sure if it were your little Johnny bleeding and your wallet paying for the visit to ER, you would be angry enough to call the police. The older, adult young man (yes 17 is an adult in MI) is the aggressor and went to this kid's house to assault him. Hope he gets the lesson with some probation or community service. I think it is funny that everyone has their panties in a bunch over the FB issue. If they had written letters, called or texted, the detail would be in the story and would be appropriate. It is part of the story and relevant and called good news reporting.
Jim Nazium
Tue, Jan 25, 2011 : 11:47 a.m.
Were the multiple youths throwing snowballs too? Sounds like a slow news day, no need for anyone to get too worked up over teenagers getting jealous over a girl. That age old conflict has been going on since the caveman days and is more natural ( not that I'm condoning it ) than parents getting into a fist-fight at a kids soccer game. At least the parents are supposed to know better and posses more self-control where these "children" are at that very awkward age and actually think they "know" stuff. Thankfully nobody was shot or stabbed ( at least the "children" didn't take it to that level and throw their lives away over some girl that probably isn't even interested in either of them anyway). Message to the boys: Grow up, take up a hobby or sport to use that extra energy for. Message to the multiple teens: Next time take turns shoveling, and do the sidewalks too. Running around in a little "Posse" around town makes you all look silly especially in Saline. Message to girl: go easy on em kid, remember girls mature faster than boys and you don't want them doing anything silly like this again.
RJA
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
In this case I think the teeth, and finger poking is a weapon. Bites are seroius, and an eye could have been poked out. Maybe never having been in a fist-fight, I just don't understand. I can't put the blame on face-book itself. Many parents don't know where their kids are or what they are doing.
robyn
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.
Ihaving witnessed my fair share of 'keyboard commandos' - does it really surprise anyone that a person would instigate or participate in a game of cyber vendetta? The only thing that is different here is that they actually went off-line to continue the war. Many people have the mistaken impression that they can say whatever they want as long as a digital screen is between them - as if that offers them some sort of protection. Add to that the mentality with the people that think their 'honor' can be threatened by words on a screen and then combine it together with the close proximity of the players involved and you KNOW there is going to be a problem. Wonder how many parents are pondering - or even care - if their kid was one of those involved in the house harassment party?
Ypsisucks
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 9:20 p.m.
Facebook is nothing but trouble. My children will never be allowed to be part of this stupid crap.
Stephen Landes
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.
Why does this rate any space at all on A2.com?
julieswhimsies
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 7:34 p.m.
Teenage boys behaving badly. Old, old story...especially when jealousy is involved.
CobraII
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 5:43 p.m.
I bet if the Fifth Corner was open this wouldn't of happened. The gang of 12 could have gone & played video games & solved this without confrontation!!
denise1inaa
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
If EITHER one of the boys were my son, there would be a whole lot of punishment going on. Both of them deserve a good verbal chastizing then take computer privileges away. I would want to meet the other parents so we could strategize on how to supervise these two hot heads and perhaps with the parents of the birthday girl, somehow I do not think she is innocent in this matter.
Andrew MacKie-Mason
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 10:14 p.m.
There's a whole lot of unfounded assumptions here.
Bucky Dornster
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.
A dozen kids banging on your windows? Toss a lit pack of firecrackers out the side door. They'll scatter like sparrows.
Jae
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
I'm sorry, but this really isn't an accurate account of how the incident took place. I believe if the prosecutor follows thru with charges against the older boy, multiple postings by the "victim" made POST incident will bring new light to this matter. Violence is never an answer, but let's not demonize a couple of teenagers for letting words escalate to flying fists. After all, adults do this all the time; they simply disguise it with the word "war" and hold rallies and media events to support it. Also, please note that not all 17 yr olds are still "children". Some of these kids have already graduated high school and are working among us as adults, making parental supervision of their Facebook accounts ridiculous.
braggslaw
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 2:58 p.m.
As long as there are no guns, a good beatdown usually solves the problem. When I was a kid a fistfight usually ended things. The loser would slink away and the issue would die. Nobody died and nobody was injured for life. Maybe those days are over because of guns but I prefer the old way of settling manners concerning personal honor.
Julian
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 2:40 p.m.
ha ha that is something that you would expect to read in the news
LANDS
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
My only concern revolves around a large group of unsupervised youth surrounding a house, I hope they were the good guys or there is a real problem in Saline. Imagine being in the house surrounded by 12+ young men banging on windows, sounds terrifying. Parents, do you know what your kids are up to?
Thomas
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.
@smokeblwr - Exactly! It's nice to read a story about a fight that didn't dissolve into guns and knives and at least one person dead and the other in jail for the rest of his life. It's refreshing to know there are still some kids out there willing to go at it without weapons! Not that they should have been fighting in the first place, but still.
smokeblwr
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 1:14 p.m.
It is good to know in this modern, digital age that kids can still solve their differences the old fashioned way!
glimmertwin
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 1:11 p.m.
Am I really reading about a fight between a couple of kids where there was biting and eye poking? Slow news day?
Bones
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 1:08 p.m.
Are you kidding me? This was sent to the prosecutors for what? Two kids get in a scrap. It is not like they pulled weapons and went nuts. If they charge these two for this. It will only be about the money they can get out of the parents.
Daniel
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.
My point is not that the means of communication was not a detail of situation. Of course it was. But the races of the students involved is also a detail of the story, but that detail is properly omitted. The means of communication should, in this case, be too. All it can do is serve to alienate the younger generations.
WalkingJoe
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 1:37 p.m.
Daniel, I guess I'm having a hard time seeing you're point. Was the reporter just supposed to say that these kids fought for no apparent reason? That they didn't communicate first and one just showed up at the others house to fight? He wasn't blaming Facebook, he just stated a fact just as he would be if he said they texted or phone or used smoke signals!
WalkingJoe
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:37 p.m.
I agree that the article needed to state the fact that the two "children" were using Facebook simply because that's what they used to communicate. The main gist of the story is we have chilren (and that's what they were acting like) were playing the age old macho game of "she mine". Let's hope cooler heads will prvail now.
Gorc
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:36 p.m.
Once bitten, twice shy.
a2citizen
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:21 p.m.
Daniel, Facebook is simply a relevant fact to the story? If the fight started at school would the story mention the school? If the fight started in a bard would the story mention the bar? Should the story mention that 12 people converged on the kids house.? Or that police were called a second time? Why even write the story if you omit relevant facts?
Andrew MacKie-Mason
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 8:06 p.m.
I think Daniel is objecting to the "fight over Facebook messages" part. At least, that's what seems odd to me. It wasn't so much a "fight over Facebook messages" as a fight over jealousy.
actionjackson
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:16 p.m.
Don't worry Daniel, Facebook is a safe place to communicate. Jealous rage is the message here. That and remember when Mom and Dad said "no biting". Eye poking is also out.
SMAIVE
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 12:11 p.m.
The reason the fight started was because of a posting and exchange on Facebook. It's a relevant fact in telling the story. No different than if it were notes passed in class or a comments made in a hallway. The bigger gist of the story is Saline's little angels are no different than any other community's kids when it comes to idiotic behavior.
Andrew MacKie-Mason
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
And yet the story (and headline) makes it sound like the "Facebook" aspect is the most important or interesting part.
Daniel
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
How is it relevant that the fight was over Facebook messages? Many younger people use Facebook as a standard means of conversation, filling the same role as phone conservations and note passing. I feel like this story is aiming to vilify the students not only for their inappropriate actions but also for the form of communication. This kind of attitude, were it adopted by society as a whole, would put an unnecessary divide between the generations. The story here is that teenagers had a physical fight, which is, of course, unacceptable. Our children acting like this is, of course, a problem, but the solution to it is not to alienate them on the basis of how they communicate.